Syrian conflict to dominate G20 summit

Foreign
Secretary William Hague claims every possible option will be pursued by Prime
Minister David Cameron in Russia later this week

William Hague also condemned the Syrian regime for preventing vital humanitarian aid from reaching refugees

Prime
Minister David Cameron will pursue every possible option for Syria, according to Foreign
Secretary William Hague.

Mr
Hague said the conflict in Syria
would dominate the bi-lateral G20 summit in St Petersburg, Russia
on Thursday and Friday - the difficulty being achieving a general consensus.

Mr
Hague said: "Our problem is not being unable to discuss these things in
the international community - it is being unable to agree how we bring about a
transitional government in Syria,
formed from government and opposition by mutual consent.

"There
is no shortage of venues for discussing those things, platforms for discussing
those things - we have had two and a half years of discussion on this. It is
agreement that is elusive, not a forum for discussion."

With
the number of official refugees of the Syrian civil war now over two million,
Mr Hague was also quick to condemn the Syrian regime for preventing vital
humanitarian aid from reaching Syrian refugees.

Speaking
during Foreign Office questions in the House of Commons, Mr Hague said: "
I am not satisfied that all of the access is there. British aid is reaching...
into many parts of Syria.
British aid is being widely distributed inside as well as outside of Syria. But
there have often been, and continues to be, severe problems of humanitarian
access - often not permitted by the regime.

"It
is another testimony towards the callousness of this regime towards its own
people that not only have they killed so many tens of thousands but also that
they obstruct the delivery of aid, including medical supplies, to people in
their own country who desperately need it."

Mr
Hague said the Government would hold talks with the President of the National
Coalition in Syria, Ahmad
Jarba, on Thursday, when there would be further talks on what Britain could do to help save
lives.

The
Foreign Secretary added: "We support a strong international response to
the use of chemical weapons in Syria
while of course respecting the views of this House."

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